1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footwear, more particularly to a shoe worn with a full-length pant leg, and especially to a shoe having a pant cuff protector for holding down a cuff of a pant leg.
2. Description of the Related Art
For reasons of safety (when riding a bicycle or scooter), comfort (in the wind), fashion (to keep a slack properly draped when sitting or after rising from a seated position) and especially for keeping the pant cuff clean and dry (holding the cuff above the level of the shoe bottom), a person may wish to restrict the movement of a pant leg and more particularly a cuff portion of a trouser. A boy riding a bicycle might tie an elastic band around his pant leg or stuff his pant legs into his socks. However, these approaches might not meet an adult""s preference for refinement.
It would be helpful if a rear portion of a pant cuff could conveniently be held away from the ground. It would also be helpful if the linking structure was simple, durable, reliable, inexpensive, and aesthetically pleasing or unobtrusive.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pant cuff protector which is easily incorporated into a shoe, easily and conveniently closed about a cuff portion of a pant leg, structurally simple and inexpensive, durable, aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive.
An exemplary embodiment of a pant cuff protector in accordance with the present invention comprises a at least one first clamping member securable about a person""s foot and at least one second clamping member magnetically attractable to the first clamping member for holding a pant cuff.
In another exemplary embodiment, the first clamping member is attachable at a heel portion of a shoe.
In other exemplary embodiments, a pant cuff protector has a strap attachable at a heel or other portion of a shoe. The said second clamping member is located at the far end of the strap.
An exemplary embodiment of a pant cuff protecting shoe in accordance with the present invention comprises a shoe upper, at least one first clamping member securable to the shoe upper and at least one second clamping member magnetically attractable to the first for restraining a pant cuff.
In another exemplary embodiment of a pant cuff protecting shoe in accordance with the present invention, the first clamping member is located at a heel portion of the shoe upper and preferably an outer surface thereof.
In another exemplary embodiment, a spanning member, said spanning member is securable to the heel or other portion of the shoe upper. The spanning member includes the second clamping member and is long enough that its distal end can reach the first clamping member, allowing the two to interact.
In other exemplary embodiments, the spanning member comprises a fabric strap, preferably with the second clamping member attached to its upper surface.
An exemplary method of restraining a pant cuff above ground in accordance with the present invention comprising the steps of securing a first magnetic body on the person""s shoe, draping a pant cuff about the shoe proximate the first magnetic body and magnetically clamping a second magnetic body onto the pant cuff over the first magnetic body.
Another exemplary method further includes the steps of securing one end of a length of material to the shoe and securing the second magnetic body on the second end. The length of material prevents loss of the second magnetic body and also helps to hold any excess length of pant cuff off the ground.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it prevents the rear portion of the pant cuff from draping to the level of the shoe bottom. Especially when the pant leg is cut long so as to break heavily over the shoes of the person wearing it, holding the cuff away from the ground prevents the pant cuff from being dragged through dirt and water and from being trod upon by the shoe heel. At the same time, it helps prevent the pant leg from rising when the knee is bent or when the wind blows and also helps keep the pant leg from interfering with such things as a chain and sprocket of a bicycle.
It is an additional advantage of the present invention that it does not require any rigid structure in order to exert clamping pressure to grasp the pant cuff. Thus, there is no rigid clamp arm structure which could be broken off by mechanical impact.
It is an additional advantage of the present invention that the surfaces that clamp the pant cuff to the shoe are smooth, non-lacerating, non-snagging, non-abrasive and unlikely to fracture.
It is an additional advantage of the present invention that, when engaged with or without a pant cuff therebetween, the clamping surfaces do not protrude greatly from the surface of the shoe. This reduces the likelihood that the clamp will be forcibly and unintentionally disengaged by mechanical force.
It is an additional advantage of the present invention that the surfaces that clamp the pant cuff are self-aligning, requiring no particular attention or care from the user.
It is an additional advantage of the present invention that the surfaces that clamp the pant cuff can be disengaged with a simple sweeping or hooking motion of a finger and can be re-closed without a pant cuff with a similar motion or by swinging the shoe until the clamping surfaces engage one another.